For the adventurous traveller who likes to try everything, we have just the thing this month!

Flag off the long running Dakar Rally, which kicks off this year in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires, or, wave our beloved Bokke to victory at next year's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Find our specials to these and other exciting destinations here and on our new mobi-site!

Destination Spotlight of the Month – Buenos Aires

Landing in Buenos Aires, you will be immediately captivated by the striking architecture for which the Argentinian capital city is renowned.

The legacy of a fascinating colonial history, it mirrors the built-in diversity of the people. French, Italian and Spanish immigrants together with the Portenos (locals) give the city its multi-cultural vibrancy. It explains the visible trimmings of European sophistication such as opera houses, art spaces and pavement cafes.

Then there's the Latin passion: Learn the rhythm of the sensual tango or watch a game of football with the people who have perfected the sport

See our specials below for Argentina's capital Buenos Aires, and book your flight to the 'Paris of South America'.

Did you know

SAA offers the only non-stop direct flight from Johannesburg to Buenos Aires three times a week.

Flights depart from Johannesburg at 09:50 every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Flights from Buenos Aires depart every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 18:15, arriving back at O.R. Tambo International Airport at 08:35 on the following day, in time for passengers to comfortably connect onward onto SAA domestic and regional connections.

Flying with SAA to Buenos Aires

SAA operates to Buenos Aires with the Airbus A340-200 with 24 seats in Business Class and 226 seats in Economy Class.

All seats in Business Class are full lie-flat seats.

Business Class with window or aisle seats guaranteed.

All seats in Business Class are forward facing.

Passengers can earn miles with SAA Voyager on all tickets (except Redemption tickets)

SAA offers the genuine Proudly South African on-board service.

All passengers are allowed 2 pieces of checked baggage with 32kgs each.

...for more info on Buenos Aires

Flight Specials

* Above fares are on a return basis, inclusive of all taxes and are subject to change due to currency fluctuations.
Terms and conditions apply. For fares from other cities please visit www.flysaa.com

...and navigate to 'Plan Your Trip' >> Specials.

Upcoming Events

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Celebrating Thanksgiving Day, Macy's colourful parade is one of New York's best. It features clowns, floats, marching bands and plenty of celebrities. Gigantic helium balloons shaped like cartoon heroes reaching high into the sky steal the show.

The parade route starts on 77th Street and heads down Central Park West to Columbus Circle, then down Broadway to Macy's at 34th Street, finishing on 7th Avenue. Crowds thicken as the day progresses, so find your spot early. The best are at Columbus Circle and Times Square, but there are also good views from Duffy Square (7th Avenue with 46th Street).

The Dakar Rally pits over 400 drivers against each other in a gruelling long-distance race. In 2011, the rally returns to South America, covering a 9000km loop between Buenos Aires, Argentina and Arica, Chile.

Competitors from around the world drive a mixture of buggies, 4x4 vehicles, motorbikes and quad-bikes, but only a quarter of participants can expect to finish. The lucky few cover landscapes ranging from mountains to desert and farmland and contrasting extremes of heat and cold.

The event began in 1977 and creates more and more press attention, entrants and excitement every year.

Our national team will be doing us proud out in New Zealand as they defend their current title as the best team in the world. You can either catch all the recorded action on your telly or you can get on that plane and back the Bokke 'fieldside'.

We at SAA are proud to be the national carriers of the winners – current and imminent. We look forward to getting you to the best place to become Rugby World Cup 2011. Go Bokke!

With South African Airways' mobi site all your travel information goes wherever you go. Access details for where you're flying to, or what the weather's like when you get there by logging on to m.flysaa.com.

Log on now for more information to make your travel experience a truly seamless one.

SAA News - Sustaining profitability

SAA results for the year ending 31 March 2010

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE YEAR:

New Board and CEO appointed.

Group pre-tax profit of R596-million (2008/9: R424-million) despite an exceptionally tough year for the aviation industry globally.

Cash generated from operations increased significantly to R1,7-billion from a deficit of R1,8-billion in the previous year.

Johannesburg, 13 September 2010: South African Airways (SAA) today released its financial results for the year ending 31 March 2010, reporting a Group profit before tax of R596-million (2008/9: R424-million). These results were achieved despite an exceptionally tough year for the aviation industry globally. The national carrier reported a bottom line profit of R581-million, a 45% improvement from the previous year's net profit of R402-million.

"The reporting period was exceptionally challenging for the aviation industry worldwide, with a large decline in passenger demand as a result of the continuing effects of the global economic crisis. We are most pleased that in comparison to many other airlines and despite the decline in passenger numbers, SAA reported positive financial results," said Ms Siza Mzimela, Chief Executive Officer of SAA.

During the reporting year, some 6,7-million (2008/9: 6,8-million) passenger flew SAA, representing a 2,4% decrease from the previous year. Domestic and international passenger numbers decreased by 6% and 5% respectively, while regional passenger numbers increased by 9%. Cargo tonnage also declined by 14% from 130 000 in 2008/9 to 119 000 2009/10.

Revenue and earnings
Total airline income declining by 15% to R22,3-billion (2008/09: R26,4-billion). This decline underlined the importance of SAA's determined approach to contain costs.

Costs
Operating costs declined from R24,4-billion in 2008/09 to R21-billion in 2009/10. The most significant contributors to the decline were fuel costs, which fell by R3,5-billion, and aircraft lease costs, which decreased by R643-million. Employee benefit expenses, consisting mainly of staff salaries, increased by 14% or R513-million.

Hedging
The significant improvements in hedging losses also contributed to the improved financial performance. During the reporting period, fair value movements and translation losses from hedging decreased to R601-million (2008/9: R1,6-billion) – a 62% decline from the prior year.

Cash
SAA's cash position improved considerably during the reporting year, with cash generated from operations increasing significantly from a deficit of R1,8-billion in 2008/09 to R1,7-billion in 2009/10. During the year, the airline repaid R1,2-billion in external loans. In addition, SAA issued share capital of R1,5-billion, which was used to repay much of the subordinated loan from government.

Operations
SAA's operations continued on the positive trajectory set in the previous year. On-time performance – the key measure of operational performance – improved. SAA breached the 80% level consistently and achieved an 85% on-time performance for the reporting period.

Subsidiaries
With the exception of South African Travel Centre (SATC), SAA's subsidiaries also reported positive results. Airchefs reported a profit before tax of R35,5-million, an improvement on the previous year's loss of R12,7-million. Mango achieved a profit before tax of R18,5-million, a 9% improvement on the prior year. SAA Technical recorded a profit before tax of R9,5-million, an improvement of R180-million from the previous year's loss of R171,2-million. For the first time since inception 14 year ago, SATC reported a loss of R1-million.

Outlook
Looking ahead, the national carrier has identified the following five primary objectives:

Generate sustainable earnings

Restore the balance sheet

Provide a consistently high-quality service

Become a performance-driven organisation

Enhance corporate governance.

"We look to the future with cautious optimism. We will continue to work tirelessly to build an airline that is safe, environmentally and socially responsible, and sustainably profitable", said Ms Cheryl Carolus, Chairperson of SAA.

Issued by SAA Group Corporate Affairs

Partners of the month

Hertz Car Rental is one of South Africa's premier car rental companies,
enjoying nearly 100 years of heritage, excellence and innovation. At Hertz,
every transaction is treated as a journey of endless possibilities, with
customer satisfaction remaining a key end result.